As Florida temperatures dip into the 40s and December draws near, it can mean only one thing for Northwest Florida.

The snowbirds are here.

On Monday, the Destin Snowbird Club will host its annual ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Destin Community Center, welcoming the official start to the snowbird season.

The club's president, Charles Cassell, said he's excited for all of the bridge games, harbor cruises and Mardi Gras road trips to come.

"It's been a lot of work getting everything organized, but I'm looking forward to it," Cassell said. "I just want everybody to have a good time."

Cassell said rumor has it that Northwest Florida might host more snowbirds than normal this year. He said Hurricane Irma may have deterred the southernmost snowbirds towards the Panhandle.

"I don't know if that's true now because there has been some recovery," Cassell said. "It's always hard to judge."

There were nearly 2,100 snowbirds registered through Destin's club last year.

Mike Krueger, the Walton County Snowbird Club's co-president, is a snowbird himself. He said he's looking forward to prize giveaways, eating at his favorite local restaurants and visiting with his Northwest Florida family.

"I'm also looking forward to running the club and getting people signed up for activities," Krueger said. "My wife and I are excited to be out of the cold and into the warmer weather. We look forward to seeing our Florida family, both locals and snowbirds who will be coming down."

Walton County also had about 2,000 members last year. Krueger said he hopes to host even more snowbirds in the 2017-18 season.